New therapy to control aggression

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a new means of addressing the biological causes of severe aggression.

The team conducted a study to assess the effect of manipulating a brain receptor known as NMDA, which is known to malfunction among pathologically aggressive people.

It was found that by shutting this receptor down, rodent test subjects no longer suffered from the same level of aggression.

This could be a momentous finding, as severe aggression is characterised by symptoms such as sudden violence, explosive outbursts and hostile overreactions to stress, as well as acting as a component of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, autism and schizophrenia.